Machine for lacing shoe-uppers.



H. E.1ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE UPPBRS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. so, 1908.

1,030,573. Patented June 25, 1912.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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H. B. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE UPPBRS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1908.

1,030,573, Patented June 25, 1912.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

11439103588.- Invention.-

hbiin Mw w COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

H. E. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR meme snon UPPEBS. I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30,' I903.

. 1,030,573. Patented June 25,1912.

' 7 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,wAsHINuTON, D. c.

H. E. BNSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGIN G SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. so, 1908.

1,030,573. Patented June 25, 1912.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

[nae-nth)!- COLUMBIA PLANOflRAFl-l $0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

H. E. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR. LACING SHOE UPPBRS.

APPLICATION FILED 11311.30, 190s.

Patented June 25, 1912.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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H. B. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1908.

- 1,030,578. Patented June 25, 1912.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

H. E. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLIOATIOHIILED JAN. so, 1908.

1,080,573, Patented June 25, 1912.

hfwlwsses: Ma i?" 7 i MM 0M W 4 COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH CO..WASmNflTON. D.c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. ENSLIN, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 25, 1912.

Application filed January 30, 1908. Serial No. 413,343.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, HERBERT E. ENsLIN,citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Lacing Shoe-Uppers; and I' do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to machines for lacing together the eyeletedquarters of shoe uppers preparatory to placing them on the last for thelasting and other operations in order that the edges of the lacing slitshall beheld at the proper distance apart, and the upper properly fittedto the last during the lasting operation.

The features of the invention may be embodied with special advantage inthat class of machines in which the lace inserting mechanism comprises aplurality of spindles or-needles arranged to pass a se ries of loops oflacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper, an example of which isshown in Patent No. 779,008, dated January 3, 1905. The broader featuresof the invention are not limited, however, to this form of machine, butmay be embodied with advantage in other forms of machines, and thespecific construction and arrangement of the various parts may be variedas may be found desirable or best suited to the form of machine in whichthe invention is embodied, and to the construction and arrangement oflace inserting devices and the devices cooperating therewith.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a shoe upper lacingmachine having its various parts so constructed and arranged that theoperations incident to the lacing together of the quarters of the uppermay be performed at a high rate of speed and in a uniformly reliable andsatisfactory manner. A further object is to so construct and arrange theparts of the machine that they may be readily and conveniently adjustedor their operation modified to secure such manipulation or control ofthe lacing cord and of the work as is best suited for inserting lacingin the particular style or size of shoe upper which is to be operatedupon,

VV ith these objects in view, one feature of the invention contemplatesthe provision in a machine in which a lacing cord is inserted in theeyelet holes, and the ends of the lac mg knotted together, of means forproviding slack in the lower portion of the lac ing, so that the slackin the lacing will readily and properly distribute itself between'thevarious pairs of eyelets to hold the edges of the lacing slit in properrelation to each other when the upper is drawn over the last.

In lacing machines in which the lacing cord is inserted in the eyeletholes of the upper, and the ends of the lacing knotted together, theupper has heretofore commonly been suspended from the knot-tyingmechanism by the ends of the lacing during the knotting operation, andhas been discharged by falling away from the knot ting mechanism whenthe ends of the lacing are released. When the upper is thus suspended bythe ends of the lacing after the lace has been inserted, substantiallyall the slack in the lacing is drawn into the upper portion of thelacing between the upper eyelet holes and the knotting mechanism. Withthe slack thus localized, it does not readily distribute itself betweenthe various pairs of eyelets when the upper is drawn over the last, withthe result that the lower eyelets are located too near together and theupper eyelets too far apart to secure the desired and proper relationbetween the edges of the lacing slit when the upper is lasted. Thislocalization of the slack in the lacing at the upper portion of thelacing is especially undesirable in lacing bluchers, in which the lowereyelets should be a considerable distance apart when the upper is inproper posit-ion upon the last.

In accordance with the present invention, the proper distribution of thelacing is insured by means which act to insure the presence of slack inthe lower portion of the lacing, which readily distributes itselfbetween the lower pairs of eyelets to secure the proper spacing of theedges of the lacing slit when-the upperis lasted. In embodying thisfeature of the invention in a machine. in which the lace insertingmechanism comprises a series of needles or spin dles, and a series oflooper fingers cooperating therewith to form a series of loops in thelacing cord, which are passed through the eyelet holes of the upper, itis preferred to extend one of the looper fingers so that it will form adevice for engaging and sustaining the lower portion of the lacing. whenthe upper is removed from the needles, and during the tying together ofthe ends of the lacing. This cord-engaging device or extension of thelooper finger thus acts to retain a certain amount of slack in the lowerportion of the lacing, and it is preferably so formed that the lacingwill remain in engagement therewith after the ends of the lacing havebeen released, so that the upper as it falls is momentarily suspendedfrom this thread-engaging device, and thus a further amount of slack isdrawn into the lower part of the lacing.

A further feature of the invention contemplates the provision .in amachine in which the lace-inserting mechanism comprises a plurality ofneedles and means cooperating therewith to form a series of loops in thelacing cord, of means whereby the proper relation between the needlesand the cooperating looping means is automatically maintained inadjusting the needles to cor- 7 respond to the spacing of the eyelets ofthe 'upper to be operated upon. This contributes to the convenience andrapidity with which the proper adjustment may be made to enablelacingsto be inserted in uppers having differently spaced eyelets. In machinesin which the means cooperating with the needles to form the loopsconsist of a plurality of looper fingers, the means for maintaining theloopers and needles in proper relation to each other may and preferablydoes consist of devices connecting those loopers which should be movedlaterally in securing the proper adjustment of the loopers and needleswith the corresponding needles, so that in actuating the mechanism whichvaries the spacing of the needles the proper movements will be impartedto thelooper fingers.

A further feature of the invention contemplates the provision in amachine in which the lace is inserted by passing a series of loops oflacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper, and then passing alocking cord through the loops, of a novel form and arrangement of workpositioner which acts to hold or to position and hold the upper out ofthe path of the needle or other means for passing the locking cordthrough the loops during the passage of said cord through the loops.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, the action of the workpositioner is rendered automatic, so that the work is properlypositioned and retained in position during the passage of the lockingcord through the loops without any attention or care on the part of theoperator. 7

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the workpositioning deviceis so constructed that it may be adjusted to actuniformly and properly upon uppers having differently spaced eyelets.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the workpositioning device is provided with a work engaging finger arranged toengage the upper close to the lower eyelets and thus insure thepositioning of this part of the upper out of the path of thecord-carrying means. This feature of the invention is of especialadvantage in insuring the proper action of the machine upon bluchers, inwhich the lower edges of the quarters are free from the vamp. In actingupon this form of upper, the workengagingfinger engages the free edge ofthe quarter and retains it out of the path of the cord-carrying means.In order that this thread-engaging finger may be maintained in properrelation to the loop-forming means when said means is adjusted fordifferently spaced eyelets, provision is made for adjusting the fingerto correspond to the adjustment of the loop-forming means, and thisadjustment is preferably secured by providing connections between theneedle or other device which forms the loop to be passed through thelower eyelet and the thread-engaging finger, so that the finger will bemoved with the loop forming device when said device is adjusted fordifferent spacings of eyelets.

Further features of the invention relate to novel construction andarrangement of the mechanism for tying together the ends of the lacingand the parts which cooperate therewith to uniformly form and tightenthe knot. The uniform tying and tightening of the knot, regardless oftheamount of slack in the lacing, is insured by providing a gripper forgripping the lacing on the work side of the knot during the tighteningof the knot, so that the tension put upon the knot is not affected bythe amount of slack in the lacing, or by the weight of the upper in caseit is suspended by the ends of the lacing. The gripper is preferablyarranged to clamp the lacing between the knot-tying mechanism and theupper, and the tighten- .ing of the knot is preferably effected by themovement of the knot-tying mechanism away from the gripper.

Further features of the invention relate to novel construction andarrangement of the knotting mechanism, and devices cooperatingtherewith, which enable the knot to be tied close to the ends of thelacing. thus securing an economy in the amount of cordv used; whichenable the knot to be tied at some distance from the ends of the lacingwhen it is desired to remove the greater part of the slack in the lacingso that the edges of the lacing slit will be held close together whenthe upper is on the last; and which insure the proper operation of theknotting I lace,

mechanismupon the ends of the lacing cord without danger of interferingwith or preventing the proper operation of the laceinserting devices.

Further features of the invention relate to the mechanism for severingthe lacing cord from the supply thread.

The various features above referred to, as well as the further featuresrelating more or less to'the preferred form and arrangement of devicesemployed in embodying the broader features of the invention in a machineof the class shown in the patent above referred to, will be understoodfrom an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is afront elevation of the machine embodying the various features of theinvention in their preferred forms, the parts being shown in theposition which they occupy when the loops have been formed and are beingheld by the needles and looper fingers in position to be passed throughthe eyelet holes of the upper; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine;Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line c2, Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is avertical sectional View on line 3 -g Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a verticalsectional view on line ww, Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a frontview partly insection showing the front of the carrier for the looper needles andlooper fingers and the work-positioning device; Fig. 7 is a plan view ofthe carrier for the looper needles and looper fingers; Fig. 8 is asimilar view with the slide on which the looper fingers are mountedremoved; Fig. 9 is a detail elevation partly in section of the devicesfor acting on the ends of the lacing; Fig. 10 is a front elevation ofthe parts shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line ww, Fig.9; Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line vv, Fig. 10; Fig. 13 is asectional view on line uu, Fig. 5; and Fig. 14 is a detail view inperspective showing a device for giving additional slack thread in thelacing.

The machine illustrated in the drawings has the same generalconstruction and mode of operation as the machine shown in the patentabove referred to, and the construction and arrangement of the parts issubstantially the same as the construction and arrangement of the partsin the machine shown and described in an application filed by VV. A.Smith,,January 16, 1906, Serial No. 296,388, which has matured intoPatent 962,105, June 21, 1910, except where the construction andarrangement of the parts is modified or changed in embodying thefeatures of the present invention in the machine.

The machine comprises a plurality of needles equal in number to thenumber of pairs of eyelet holes which it is desired to a plurality oflooper fingers cooperatmg with the needles to form a series of loops ina lacing cord and retain the loops in position until the shoe upper isplaced on the needles, a cord feeding needle acting to place the cord inposition to be engaged by the needles and looper fingers, and to pass aportion of the cord through the loops after they have been inserted inthe eyelet holes of the upper, cord clamping grippers to hold the endsof the lacing, a cutter to sever the lacing from the cord supply, and aknot-tying mechanism acting to tie the ends of the lacing together.

The looper needles or spindles 1, of which there are four in the machineshown, are mounted in a carrier 3, and the cooperating looper fingers 2are mounted on a slide 4 supported on the carrier. The front end of thecarrier 3 is supported by a link 5 from one arm of a bell crank lever 6which is pivoted on a shaft 7 and is rocked to give vertical movementsto the carrier by a cam 8 engaging a cam roll 9 on the other arm of thelever. The rear end of the carrier is pivotally supported upon the armsof a yoke 10, which is pivoted upon a rod 11, and is rocked to give thecarrier its forward and return movements by a cam 12 acting upon a roll13 which is mounted on one of the arms of the yoke. The weight of theyoke is supported or partially supported upon a spring 14. Movements areimparted to the slide 4 which carries the looper fingers to move thelooper fingers longitudinally of the needles through a lever 15 which isconnected with the slide by a link 16, and is provided with a roll 17engaging a cam 18.

The looper needles 1 are secured in spindles 19 which are mounted inblocks 20, and the blocks are mounted in guideways formed in the frontof the carrier 3, so that the blocks may be adjusted to vary the spacingof the needles. One of the blocks shown at the right in Fig. 6 issecured in fixed posi tion, while the others are mounted to slidelaterally in the carrier in changing the spacing of the needles. Theneedle blocks are connected by links 21 pivoted to the blocks andpivotally connected together to form a lazy-tong connection between theblocks. One of the links is extended to form an operating lever orhandle 22 by the movement of which the needle blocks may besimultaneously adjusted to vary the spacing of the needles. The needleblocks may be secured in adjusted position by means of a clamping screw28 which passes through a slot in the front plate of the carrier and isthreaded into one of the links 21. 4

The looper fingers 2 are secured in blocks 24 carried by a plate 25which is secured upon the upper side of the looper finger slide 4. Theplate 25 is held upon the upper surface of the slide 4 by means ofscrews 26 which pass through slots 27 in the plate and are provided withheads overlying the plate. The plate may be adjusted upon the slide tovary the length of loops formed by the looper fingers, and is held inadjusted position by means of a clamping bolt 28 mounted in a verticallug 29 and arranged to engage a rod 30 which extends through the lug andis secured in a similar lug on the slide 4. The bolt 28 is provided withan operating lever 31 by which it may be operated to clamp the rod 30 orto disengage the rod when the plate is to be adjusted. The blocks 24 aremounted for lateral adjustment in the front end of the plate 25, so thatthey may be moved laterally to bring or maintain the looper fingers inproper position between the needles for difierent adjustments of theneedles.

The spindles 19 in which the needles 1 aresecured are rocked at properintervals to bring the hooks in the needles into position to receive thelacing cord, and to thereafter turn the needles into position to holdthe loops so that the cord-carrying needle will pass through the loops,by means of crank arms 32 secured to the rear ends of the spindles, andprovided with pins 33 engaging a slot in a transverse bar 34. The bar iscarried on the forward ends of two bell crank levers 35, the upper endsof which extend upward into the path of shoulders 36 which are formed onthe slide 4. hen the slide is advanced to bring the looper fingers infront of the hooks in the looper needles, the rear shoulders 36 act onthe levers 35, moving the bar 34 downward, and thus turning the needlesinto position to bring the hooks upward where they may receive thelacing cord. hen the slide 4 is retracted, and the looper fingers haveengaged the cord, and cotiperating with the needles have formed loops inthe cord, the front shoulders 36 act upon the levers 35, raising the bar34 and turning the needles through an angle of 90 degrees, so that theloops are held by the needles in position for the passage of the cordcarrying needle through the loops.

In order that the looper fingers may be automatically maintained inproper relation to the needles when the needles are adjusted fordifferent spacings of eyelets, each of the looper fingers to the left ofthe movable needles is connected with the corresponding needle, so thatthese looper fingers are adjusted with the needle. In the constructionshown, the connections between the needles and loopers is effected byforming lugs 37 on the rear ends of the needlecarrying blocks 20 whichembrace the front ends of the looper-carrying blocks (Figs. 5 and 6).

The cord feeding needle 38 is secured in the arm' 39 of a needlecarrying slide 40 which is mounted to slide in ways 41. The needlecarrying slide is reciprocated by means of a cam 42 which engages a rollon the rear end of a lever 43, the front end of which is provided with asegment 44. The segment 44 engages a pinion 45 which is connected with agear 46 engaging a rack 47 on the needle carrying slide. The lacingcord. leads from the eye of the needle 38 through two guides 48 arrangedon opposite sides. of a lever 49, the lower end of which is arranged toengage and frictionally clamp the cord between the guides 48. The lever49 is forced yieldingly into clamping position by a spring 50, and isoperated to relieve the tension on the cord when the needle is in itsretracted position, by a cam 51 arranged to engage a roll on the upperend of the lever.

The machine is provided with a work guard 52 adjustably secured to aplate 53 and provided at its front end with an eye 54 through which thelacing cord passes from the left hand looper finger to the eye of thecord feeding needle when the needle is in its retracted position, Fig.14. The guard is also provided with fingers 55 between which the cordfeeding needle reciprocates, and which act to' steady the needle duringits advance stroke. A slack thread device 56 is also mounted upont-hefront end of the work guard. This device consists of a finger projectingfrom a plate 57 and held upon the end of the guard by a screw 58 whichpasses through a slot in the plate. The lower edge of the plate isprovided with a notch arranged to engage a pin 59 and retain the platein position. The slack thread device may be-moved into the posi tionindicated in Fig. 14 where the lacing cord will be drawn over the finger56 when the cord feeding needle passes the cord through-the loops whichhave been passed through the eyelet holes of the upper, thus formingslack in the lacing. In case it is not desired to form slack in thelacing, the device may be moved out of operative position by sliding theplat-e 57 upward until the notch in the lower edge of the platedisengages the pin 59', and then swinging the plate upward about thescrew 58.

After the upper has been placed on the needles and the loops carried bythe needles thus passed through the eyelet holes of the upper, thecarrier for the looper needles and looper fingers is moved upward tobring the loops carried by the needles into line with the cord feedingneedle 38, so that the needle on its forward stroke carries the cordthrough the loops on the needles. In 3 ing and holding device isprovided'which automatically acts to position the upper upon the needlein case the operator has not accurately positioned it, and to hold theupper in position upon the needle against movement into the path of thecord feeding needle. In the construction shown, this work positioningdevice comprises two work-engaging fingers 60 and 61. Thesework-engaging fingers extend downward from a bar 62 formed 011 the outerend of a lever 63. The front end of the lever 63 passes through and issupported in a head 64 which is pivotally mounted on the frame of themachine above-the needle and looper carrier. The rear end of the lever63 is provided with a yoke 65 the arms of which are pivotally connectedwith the lug 29 on the upper side of the plate which carries the looperfingers. The work-positioning device is thus connected with the slidewhich carries the looper fingers, so that it is adjusted with the looperfingers and advanced a and retracted therewith to maintain it in properrelation thereto for properly positioning and holding the work, and toenable the removal of the work from the needles when the looper fingersare advanced.

The work-engaging finger is arranged to engage the upper near the uppereyelet through which the lacing cord is passed, and the work-engagingfinger 61 is arranged to engage the upper close to the lower eyelet. Inorder that the position of the work-engaging finger 61 may be varied tocorrespond with the variations in the positions of the needle whenadjusted for differently spaced eyelets, the finger is adjustablymounted in the bar 62, and in order that this adjustment may be efiectedsimultaneously with the adjustment of the needles, the finger isconnected with the needle adjacent to which it acts, so as to move withthe needle when laterally adjusted. As shown, the work-engaging finger61 is supported from a block 66 mounted to slide within a guideway 67formed in the bar 62. The finger is connected with the block 24 whichcarries the lefthand looper finger by means of an arm 68, the rear endof which is pivoted to the block, and the front end of which is forkedand is arranged to embrace the upper part of the finger 61. The frontend of the forked arm 68 is supported by engagement with shoulders 69formed on the finger 61. By means of this connection the finger 61 ismoved in unison with the left hand looper needle and the connection issuch that it does not interfere with the relative movements between thecarrier for the looper needles and loopers and the workpositioningdevice.

When the .looper needles are moved upward to bring the loops intoposition for the passage of the cord feedingneedle,the upper carriedonthe needles passes up back of the work-engaging fingers 61 and 62, thefingers acting to press the work back upon the needles and to restrainit from springing forward into the path of the cord feeding needle. Thefinger 61 engages the upper close to the lower eyelet and acts to retainthe lower edge of the quartersin proper position upon the needle, evenwhen the lower edges of the quarters adjacent to the lower eyelets areunattached to the vamp, as in lacing bluchers. When the looper fingersmove forward longitudinally of the needles to remove the laced upperfrom the needles, the lever 63 upon which the work-engaging fingers arecarried moves forward with the loopers so that the fingers do notinterfere with the removal of the upper.

In order to provide slack in the lower part of the lacing, the looperfinger which engages the lacing cord between the needles which pass theloops through the two lower eyelets is extended to form a cord engagingdevice 70 with which the lacing cord remains in engagement, and fromwhich the upper is suspended when it is removed from the needlespreparatory to tying the ends of the lacing together. During the tyingof the ends of the lacing together, the lacing cord remains upon theextension 70 of the looper finger, so that some of the slack in thelacing is retained in the lower part of the lacing. Vhen the ends of thelacing are released, and the upper falls, the lacing slides down thevertical part 71 of the thread-engaging device and brings up against thecurved lower end 72, so that the fall of the upper is momentarilyarrested and a pull put upon the lacing which draws some of the slackinto the lower part of the lacing. The cord immediately slides off thecurved lower part 72 of the thread-engaging device and drops away fromthe machine.

The grippers 73 and 74 for grasping the ends of the lacing are arrangedat the right of the lace inserting devices, and coperate with a plate 75in gripping the cord. The grippers are in the form of fingers whichproject forward from the lower ends of two sliding bars 76 and 77, andthese bars are moved at proper intervals through levers 7-8 and '79(Figs. 9 and 10). The front end of the levers engage recesses in therear sides of the gripper bars, and the lower side of each recess isformed by the upper end of a section 80 which is held against the end ofthe lever by a spring 81. lVhen the gripper bar is forced downward togrip the cord, the spring 81 will yield after the gripper has engagedthe cord, so that the gripping force is transmitted through the spring81. The

.spring 81 thus constitutes one form of yielding connection in thegripper operating means which allows the gripper to automatically adjustitself to different sizesof cord, and to effectively grip the cord underall conditions.

The gripper 73 is arranged to grip the free end of the cord when thecord feeding needle advances, so that on the return stroke of the needlethe cord is fed into position to be engaged by the hooks of the looperneedles. The cord at this time lies in front of aguide-bar 82, and whenthe loops are formed by the needles and looper fingers the cord drawsacross this guide-bar, being retained in position on the bar byengagement with a notch 83 (Fig. 10). The bar 82 also acts as a guardbehind which the work lies during the passage of the cord through theloops after they have been passed through the eyelet holes of the upper.

The gripper 7st is arranged and operated to grip the lacing cord carriedby the cord feeding needle after the needle has passed through the loopscarried by the looper needles. After the cord has been gripped, and thecord feeding needle has started on its return stroke, the cord leadingfrom the gripper to the eye of the needle draws over the gripper finger7%, and after the needle has returned a sufficient distance to provide afree end of thread projecting through the eye of the needle, the cord issevered at the gripper 7 4 bythe action of a knife 84 which is formed onthe lower end of a knife bar 85. The knife bar 85 is mounted to bearagainst the surface of the gripper bar 77 and the knife edge on thelower end of the bar cooperates with the upper outer edge of the gripperfinger Tet to sever the cord drawn over the finger. By this constructionthe proper severing of the cord is insured, and the knife is held at alltimes in accurate cutting relation to the edge of the gripper finger,without requiring care in the adjustment of the knife, or requiringfrequent adjustment to compensate for wear. In order to insure that thecord shall be drawn taut at the moment when the cutter acts and toinsure the complete separation of the ends of the thread, a cam 86(Figs. 1 and 5) may be provided for engaging the roll on the upper endof the tension lever 49, and forcing the lower end. of the lever firmlyagainst the cord so that a pull is put upon the cord at the time whenthe cutter acts.

The operating levers 78 and 79 for the gripper bars are rocked at properintervals through a lever 87, the lower end of which is provided with aroll engaging a cam 88, and the upper end of which is forked to embracethe rear ends of the levers 78 and 79, and is provided with pins 89passing through segmental slots 90 and 91 formed in the rear ends of thelevers 78 and 79 respectively. lVhen the upper end of the lever 87 isswung to the left in Fig. 9, so that pins 89 are in the forward ends ofthe slots 90 and 91, both the gripper bars will be in raised position.When the gripper 84: is to be operated to clamp the cord, the lever 87is moved to the right into the position inclicated in Fig. 9. Duringthis movement one pin 89 moves idly in the slot 91, so that the grip-per85 is not operated. The curve of the slot 90 is such, however, that thismovement of the lever 87 rocks the lever 78, forcing the gripper 73 intogripping position. hen the gripper 74 is to be operated to grip thecord, the lever 87 is moved to the right in Fig. 9. During this movementone pin 89 works idly in the slot 90, thus retaining the gripper 7 3 ingripping position. The other pin 89 also during this movement acts inthe slot 91 to rock the lever 79, and force the gripper 74 into grippingposition. Vhen the grippers are to be raised to release the ends of thelacing cord, the lever 87 is thrown to its extreme left position.

The cutter bar 85 is operated through a lever 92, the front end of whichengages a recess in the cutter bar and the rear end of which isconnected by means of a link 93 to a lever 9st which is rocked at properintervals by a cam 95 (Figs. 3 and 4).

During the return stroke of the cord feeding needle after it has giventhe free end of the cord to the gripper 73, and is laying the cord inposition to be engaged by the hooks of the looper needles, the cord between the gripper and the guide-bar 82 is acted upon by a thread arm 96which is arranged in front of the cord, and at this time is movedrearwardly to draw slack cord from the cord supply. Then the looperfingers are cooperating with the needles to form the loops in the cord,this thread arm again moves forward to give up its slack cord, so thatthe loops may be formed with less rendering of cord through the hooks ofthe needles and around the looper fingers. This thread arm is alsoprovided with a gripper for placing the ends of the lacing cord in theaws of the knotting mechanism, as will be more fully described inconnection with the description of the knotting mechanism.

After the cord feeding needle has passed the cord through the loops heldby the looper needles, and the cord has been gripped by the gripper 74and severed by the knife 84, the two ends of the lacing cord extend sideby side across the guide-bar 82 and to the grippers 73 and 74. The endsof the lacing cord are now in position to be acted upon by the knottingmechanism which operates to tie the ends of the lacing together. In theconstruction shown, the knotting mechanism is constructed to form a loopin the lacing cords, and to draw a bight of the cords through the loop,and to then tighten the knot thus formed. As shown in Figs. 10, 11 and12, the knotting mechanism is provided with a looping post 97 formed bythe lower ends of two semicylindrical .members 98 and 99. These membersare mounted in a sleeve 100, and are provided at their lower extremitieswith cooperating jaws 101 and 102 for gripping the cord. During thetying of the knot the members 98 and 99 are rotated to form a loop aboutthe post 97, and are also moved longitudinally to grip the cord betweenthe jaws 101 and 102 and draw it through the loop. The sleeve 100 isrotated to impart rotary movements to the members 98 and 99 through apinion 103 which is engaged by a segmental gear 104. This gear is formedon the front end of a lever 105, the rear end of which is acted upon bya cam 106. The members 98 and 99 are connected to the sleeve 100 bymeans of a bar 107 extending through a slot 108 formed inthe adjacentfaces of the members, so that the members will rotate with the sleevewhile being free to move longitudinally therein.

Longitudinal movements are imparted to the members 98 and 99 by means oflevers 109 and 110, the forward ends of which are connected to themembers, and the rear ends of which are engaged by cams 111 and 112. Thelooping post 97 is provided with a cord retaining latch 113 which isformed upon a slide 114. The slide 114 is mounted in a transverse recessin the inner face of the member 98, so that the latch is moved radiallyof the looping post by the sliding movements of the slide. The latch isso formed that when the end of the latch is in engagement with thelooping post, an eye 115 is formed at the side of the postin which thelacing cord lies during thr formation of the loop on the looping post. Ahalf sleeve 116 is secured upon the lower end of the sleeve 100, and isprovided at its lower end with a finger 116 arranged to lie within aslot in the member 99, and to act to strip the loop of cord off thelooping post when the post is drawn upward within the sleeve. Thesliding latch 113-114 is operated to move the end of the latch towardand away from the post 97, and to retain the latch in either open orclosed position by means of cam surfaces 117 and 118 formed on thesleeve 116 and arranged to cooperate with cam surfaces 119 and 120formed on the latch.

During the advance and return stroke of the cord feeding needle inpresenting the free end of the thread to the gripper 73, and feeding thethread into position to be engaged by the hooks of the looper needles,

and during its forward stroke in passing l the cord through the loopsheld by the looper needles, and during a part of its return stroke, thelooping post 97 and the latch are and act upon the lacing cord, andwhere it i cannot be engaged by or interfere with the movements of thecord feeding needle, or

interfere with the proper feeding of the cord. During the return strokeof the cord feeding needle, after it has given the cord to the gripper74 and the cord has been severed, the members 98 and 99 are moveddownward to carry the looper post-97 and latch 113 on opposite sides ofthe ends of the lacing cord, and thus bring the lacing cord into the eye115 between the latch and post. After the lower end of the latch 113 haspassed below the lacing cord, the cam surface 120 engages the camsurface 118, and the latch is moved radially toward the looping post, sothat its lower end engages the post, thus closing the eye 115. The latchis locked in this position by the surfaces 118 and 120 during therotation of the post to form the loop, and until the post is raised tocast off the loop, at which time the cam surfaces 117 and 119 act toopen the latch so that the loop is free to pass off the looping post.

By arranging the knotting mechanism out of position to act upon thelacing cord, and moving it into position to act upon the lacing cordafter the ends of the cord have been presented to the grippers and arein position to be tied together, the necessity for locating the loopingpost and latch close to the path of the cord feeding needle, so that theneedle will pass through the eye formed bet-ween the latch and post, isavoided, and there is no danger of the needle striking the latch, or ofpassing so close to the latch that the thread is engaged by the latchand drawn from the eye of the needle during the forward stroke of theneedle in presenting the free end of the thread to the gripper. Thisconstruction and arrangement also enables the latch to lie closer to thelooping post, and thus contributes to the compactness of the knottingmechanism. By constructing the latch to slide, and providing means forlocking it in position, the construction of the knotter is simplifiedand its action rendered certain by preventing opening of the latch underpressure exerted thereon by the cord in the knotting operation.

After the knotting mechanism has moved into position to act upon thelacing cord, and the latch on the looper post has closed over the lacingcord, the upper is forced off the looper needles by the forward movementof the looper fingers, and falls away from the needles, so that it issupported by the thread engaging device and by the ends of the lacingcord which pass through the eye 115 of the knotting mechanism, and areheld by the grippers 73 and 74. Vhen the upper falls into this positionthe two strands of the lacing cord leading from the grippers through thelatch of the knotting mechanism 7 to the upper lie against a lateralextension 121 formed at the lower end of the bar 82. ;This lateralextension extends below and in front of the knotting mechanism, and isprovided with a forwardly projecting pin 122 which prevents the lacingfrom swinging too far to the right. The front face of the extensionl21is curved, and forms a fixed jaw against which the lacing is grippedby a clamping plate 123 during the knot tightening operation. Theclamping plate 123 is formed on the forward end of a sliding bar 124which is operated to give the proper movements to the clamping platethrough a lever 125, the upper end of which is connected by a link 126with the rear end of the bar, and the lower end of which is acted uponby a cam 127.

The clamping plate 123 not only acts to grip the lacing cord during theknot tightening operation, but it is also utilized as a means forcontrolling the opening and closing of the gripper jaws mounted on thethread arm 96, and which acts to grip the ends of the lacing cord andcarry the cord into position to be engaged by the jaws 101 and 102 ofthe knot-tying mechanism, as will be more fully described.

The gripping device for gripping the ends of the lacing and placingthem'in the jaws of the knotting mechanismv consists of a fixed jaw 128which extends rearward from the lower end of the thread arm 96, and amovable jaw 129 arranged to cooperate with the fixed jaw. The movable129 is in the form of a thin plate arranged to overlie the jaw 128, andprovided withan upturned front end for guiding the lacing cord betweenthe jaws, and wit-h a finger 130 arranged to project down at the side ofthe jaw 128 and position the cord between the jaws. The gripping plate129 is pivoted on the thread arm 96, and is provided with a dependingoperating arm 131. The gripping plate 129 is forced yieldingly towardthe fixed jaw 128 by a spring 132.

After the upper has been removed from the needles, the thread arm 96carrying the gripping jaws 128 and 129 moves rearwardly, the spring jaw129 of the gripping device passing over the lacing cord between the knotforming mechanism and the clamps 7 3 and 74-, and the operating arm 131of the jaw 129 riding on the plate 123 which is moved rearwardly a shortdistance at this time, but not far enough to engage the lacing cord.During the continued rearward jDOVGIllQllt of the gripping device theoperating arm 131 rides oil? the plate 123, so that the. spring jaw 129closes against the lacing and grips the lacing against the fixed jaw128. Just after the gripping device has gripped the ends of the lacing,the grippers 73 and Tet are operated to release the ends of the lacing.About the time the gripping device reaches its rearward position, theloop ing post 97 is rotated, and after it has nearly completed arevolution, the jaws 101 and 102 are opened and pass on opposite sidesof the lacing, which has been drawn by the rearward movement of thegripping device into position to lie between the jaws 101 and 102 as thelooping postcompletes its rotation. The knotter jaws 101 and 102 arethen closed, and are moved upward to draw the lacing through the loop onthe looping post which is cast off the ends of the jaws by the finger116 and the end of the sleeve 116. After the lacing is gripped by theknotter jaws, the gripping device 128 and 129 is given a furtherrearward movement to draw the ends of the lacing cord. from between thejaws 128 and 129. During the upward movement of the knotter jaws 101 and102, the clamping plate 123 grips the lacing'between the knot and theupper, so that the knot is tightened by the upward movement of the jaws.This insures a uniform tightening of the knot, since the cord is grippedon opposite sides of the knot as the two sets of gripping jawsare movedrelatively away from each other.

By placing the ends of the lacing between the gripper jaws by themovement of the gripping device which grips the ends of the lacing, theknot may be'formed close to the ends of the lacing, so that there issubstantially no waste cord in the ends extending beyond the knot. 7

Instead of operating the thread gripping device so that the jaws of theknotter will engage the lacing near the ends of the cord, and thus causethe knot to be tied near the ends of the lacing, the gripping device maybe operated to draw the lacing through the latch 113 prior to theknotting operation, and thus cause the knot to be formed at somedistance from the end of the lacing. WVhen thus operated, the grippingdevice will therefore act to draw a portion of the slack from the lacingand cause the knot to be formed near to the upper. This is desirable incase the edges of the lacing slit should be held close together when theup-' gripping device are opened to release the lacing in this case bythe engagement of the operating arm 131 with the clamping plate 123 asthe gripping device reaches its outer position. In either case, afterthe knot is completed and tightened, and the jaws of the knotter havebeen opened to release the ends of the lacing and allow the laced up perto drop from the machine, the thread arm 96 which carries the grippingjaws 128 and 129 moves rearward sufliciently to carry the operating arm131 of the jaw 129 off of the plate 123, so that the jaw 129 closesagainst the jaw 128. This movement brings the two jaws rearward belowthe path of the cord feeding needle, so that as the needle makes itsforward stroke to carry the free end of the supply cord to the gripper73, it passes over the jaws. The length of cord fed by the needle intoposition to be engaged by the hooks of the looper needles thereforepasses over the jaw 129, where it will be engaged by the thread arm andmay reeve freely over this arm when the arm is retracted to draw slackcord from the supply. When the thread arm moves forward to give up theslack during the forming of the loops by the needles and looper fingers,it moves to its outer position, thus bringing the operating arm 131 intoengagement with the clamping plate 123, and opening the gripper jaw 129preparatory to the rearward movement of the gripping device to grip theends of the lacing cord as above described.

In order that theaction of the gripping device which lays the ends ofthe laclng. cord in the knotter jaws may be readily changed to effectthe tying of the knot either near the ends of the lacing or near theupper, two operating cams for the gripping device are provided, andconnections for readily connecting either one cam or the other with thegripping device. As shown, the thread arm 96 which carries the grippingdevice is formed on the forward end of a bar 133, the rear end of whichis connected by means of a link 134 with the up per end of an arm 135.The arm 135 is provided with a hub 136 secured to the shaft 135, andprovided with laterally projecting pins 137. These pins are arranged toengage recesses in the hub of an arm 138, which is adjustably connectedwith the shaft 135 and is provided with a roll 139 arranged to engageone or the other of two cams 140 and 141. The cam 140 is constructed togive the proper movements to the gripper device when the knot is to betied at some distance from the ends of the lacing and close to theupper, while the cam 141 is shaped to give the proper movements to thegripper device when the knot is to be tied close to the ends of thelacing. The arm 138 which carries the roll engaging one or the other ofthe cams is connected with the shaft 135 by means of a pin 142 mountedin the hub of the arm and having its inner end arranged to engage one orthe other of two recesses 143 formed in the shaft 135% The pin 142 ispressed forward by the action of a leaf spring 144. hen the pin 142 isin engagement with the left hand recess 143 (Fig. 13) the roll 139 onthe arm 138 is in position to be engaged by the cam'140. When the pin isin the recess 143 at the right, the roll is in position to ride upon thecam 141. The change from one cam to the other may be readily made bydrawing the pin 142 from the recess 143 and shifting the arm 138longitudinally of the shaft 135 into position for the pin to engage theother recess. In either adjustment of the arm 138 the cam roll 139 is inposition to be acted upon by a cam 145, which is shaped and timed togive the proper movements to the thread arm .96 for drawing slack fromthe supply and giving it up to the looper needles and looper fingers.

The various cams for operating the different parts of the machine aresecured upon a cam shaft 146, which is driven through gearing from apulley 147. The machine is provided with a stop mechanism indicatedgenerally at 148 (Fig. 1), which operates to stop the machine with theparts in the position indicated in the main views. The stop mechanism isoperated to start the machine through a treadle (not shown) connectedwith the rod 149. When the ma chine is thrown into operation it makes asingle revolution and then stops.

The operation of the machine is briefly as follows: When the parts areat rest after the completion of a cycle of operations, one end of thelacing cord is held by the gripper 73, and the cord passes below theknotting mechanism across the 'guide 82 over the looper fingers andthrough the hooks of the looper needles, through the thread-eye 54,through the eye of the cord feeding needle 38, through the guides 48,back of the'tension lever 49, and thence to the supply. The looperneedles are in their lower and advanced position, and the workpositioning device is in its upper retracted position. The operator nowplaces the upper on the looper needles and start-s the machine. Thecarrier for the looper needles and fingers moves up to bring the upperback of the work positioning device, which acts to position the work andto retain it in position on the needles back of the path of the cordfeeding needle 38. The cord feeding needle now advances to carry thecord through the loops on the looper needles, and gives the cord to thegripper 74. After the needle 38 is moved back a short distance, thelever 49 is operated by the cam 86 to clamp the cord and draw it tautover the gripper finger 74, and the cutter 84 is operated to sever thecord. The knotter jaws then move downward behind the two strands of thelacing cord which lead from the grippers to the upper, the latch 113passing in front of and below the lacing, and then sliding inward toretain the ends of the lacing on the jaws of the knotting mechanism. Thelooping fingers and work positioning device then move forward, and thecarrier for the looper needles and fingers moves downward, the workpositioning device swinging upward slightly. As the carrier reaches itslower position, the looper fingers complete their forward movement andpush the upper ofi the looper needles. The upper now falls down and issupported by the ends of the lacing and by the lacing which engages thethread engaging device 70. The thread arm 96 now moves rearwardly tooperate the *ipping device 128 and 129, which grips the ends of thelacing cord and carries them rearwardly. The knotter then starts torotate, and as it completes its rotation the knotter jaws pass onopposite sides of the ends of the lacing and then close. The knotterjaws are then raised to draw the threads through the loop formed on thelooping post, and, the clamping arm 123 is operated to clamp the lacingbetween the knot and the upper during the continued upward movement ofthe knot-ter jaws, and during the tightening of the knot. After the knotis completed, the jaws of the knotter open, and the clamping plate movesoutward so that the upper falls away from the machine, the lower part ofthe lacing sliding down the part 71 of the thread engaging device, andstriking the curved end 7 2 to draw slack into the lower part of thelacing as the upper falls. During the knot tightening operation thecarrier for the looper needle and fingers is moved upward and rearwardlyso as to bring the looper needles just below the path of the cordfeeding needle and the looper fingers and work positioning device havemoved forward so that the looper fingers are in front of the path of thecord feeding needle. The needles have also been turned through an angleof 90 degrees to bring the hooks in the needles upward. After the knottightening operation has been completed, the cord carrying needle movesacross the looper needles and gives the free end of the cord to theclamp 73, and then returns to its retracted position. During the returnof the needle the thread arm 96 is moved rearwardly to draw slack fromthe cord supply. After the cord feeding needle has finished its backwardstroke, the carrier for the looper needles is raised slightly to bringthe cord into the eyes of the looper needles, and then the looperfingers are moved rearwardly to form the loops between the needles andlooper-fingers, the workpositioning device moving'rearwardly with thelooper fingers. At the same time the carrier for the looper needles andlooper fingers moves downward, and the thread arm moves forward to giveup slack to the looper needles and looper fingers. The looper needlesalso move forward into position to receive the upper. This brings theparts back to their initial position, and the machine is stopped by thestop mechanism.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, andspecifically described one form of machine in which the invention may beembodied, what I claim is 1. A machine for lacing shoe uppers,hav ing,in combination, a plurality of needles, means coeperating therewith toform a series of loops in a lacing cord, and a single adjustingmechanism acting when actuated to change the relative lateral positionof the needles to space the needles in accordance with the spacing ofthe eyelet holes in the upper to be laced and to simultaneously maintainthe cotiperating means in proper relation to the needles, substantiallyas described.

2. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, means cooperating therewith to form a se ries of loops inthe lacing cord, and means for simultaneously adjusting said needles andcooperating means to space the same in accordance with the spacing ofthe eyelet holes in the upper to be laced, substantially as described.

3. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, a plurality of looper fingers coiiperating therewith to forma series of loops in a lacing cord, and means for simultaneouslyadjusting the needles in accordance with the spacing of the eyelet holesin the upper to be laced and automatically maintaining the looperfingers in proper relation thereto, substantially as described. I

4. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, a plurality of looper fingers coeperating therewith to forma series of loops in the lacing cord, and adjusting mechanism actingwhen actuated to change the relative lateral position of the needles andof the looper fingers in accordance with the spacing of the eyelet holesin the upper to be laced, substantially as described.

5. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperating therewith to forma series of loops in the lacing cord, and an adjusting mechanism commonto the needles and looper fingers for adjusting the same in accordancewith the spacing of the eyelet holes in the upper to be laced,substantially as described.

6. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperating therewith to forma series of loops in a lacing cord, means for simultaneously adjustingthe needles to space the needles in accordance with the spacing of theeyelet holes in the upper to be laced, and connections between theneedles and looper fingers for adjusting the looper fingers with theneedles, substantially as described.

7. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles laterally adjustable for different spacing of eyelet holes inthe upper to be laced, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in the lacing cord, and connectingdevices between the needles and looper fingers for moving the looperswith the needles, substantially as described.

8. A machine for-lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming a series of loops in a lacing cord and retaining them inposition to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, means forpassing a locking cord through the loops, a work positionenand meansacting to automatically change the relation of the Work positioner andloop forming means to retain the work out of the path of the means forpassing the locking cord through the loops, substantially as described.

9. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, means cooperating therewith to form a se ries of loops in alacing cord and retain the loops in position to be passed by the needlesthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, means for passing a locking cordthrough said loops, a work positioning device, and means toautomatically change the relation of the needles and work positioningdevice to position the work on the needles prior to the passage of thelocking cord through the loops, substantially as described.

10. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, means cooperating therewith to form a series ofloops in a lacing cord and retain the loops in position to be passed bythe needles through the eyelet holes of an upper, means for passing alocking cord through said loops, a Work positioning device, and meansacting to automatically change the relation of the needles and workpositioning device to position the work on the needles prior to thepassage of the locking cord through the loops and to enable the removalof the work from the needles, substantially as described.

11. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming a series of loops in a lacing cord and retaining them inposition to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, means forpassing a locking cord through the loops, and a work positioning deviceacting to position the work on the loops and adjustable for differentspacings of the loops,

substantially as described.

12. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cordthrough the eyelet holes of an upper adjustable for difi'erent spacedeyelet holes, and a work positioning device for positioning the work onthe needles and adjustable for different spacings of the needles,substantially as described.

13. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming a series of loops in a lacing cord and retaining them inposition to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper, means forpassing a locking cord through the loops, and a work positioning devicehaving a work engaging finger arranged to engage the work close to thelower eyelet, substantially as described.

let. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming a series of loops in a lacing cord and retaining them inposition to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper adjustablefor differently spaced eyelets, means for passing a locking cord throughthe loops, and a work positioning device having a work engaging fingerarranged to engage the work close to the lower eyelet, and provision foradjusting the finger to correspond to the adjustment of the loop formingmeans, substantially as described.

15. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cordthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, a work positioning device providedwit-h work engaging fingers, and means for adjusting the needles and oneof the fingers for differently spaced eyelets, substantially asdescribed.

16. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cordthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, a work positioning device providedwith a work engaging finger arranged to engage the work close to thelower eyelet, and means for adjusting the finger to correspond with theadjustment of the needles, substantially described.

17. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cordthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, a work positioning device providedwith a work engaging finger arranged to engage the workclose to theneedle corresponding to the lower eyelet, means for adjusting theneedles to correspond with the spacing of eyelet holes in the upper tobe placed, and devices connecting said needle and finger, substantiallyas described.

18. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in the lacing cord, a workpositioning device for positioning the upper on the needles, and meansfor moving the work positioning device longitudinally of the needleswith the looper fingers, substantially as described.

19. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in the lacing cord, means foroperating the loopers, and a work positioning device connected with thelooper operating means to move longitudinally of the needles with thelooper fingers, substantially as described.

20. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in the lacing cord, means forpassing a locking cord through the loops, a work positioning devicearranged back of the path of the locking cord, and means for causing arelative movementbet-ween the needles and looper fingers and the Workpositioning device to bring the work back of the work positioning deviceprior to the passage of the locking cord, substantially as described.

21. A machine for lacing shoe uppers,having, in combination, a pluralityof needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperating therewith to forma series of loops in the lacing cord, a cord carrying needle for passing a locking cord through the loops, a work positioning device, meansfor causing a relative movement between the needles and looper fingersand the work positioning device to bring the work positioning deviceinto position between. the upper and the path of the cord carryingneedle prior to the passage of the needle through the loops,substantially as described.

22. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, h aving, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in the lacing cord, a cord carryingneedle for carrying the locking cord through the loops, a workpositioning device, means for causing a relative movement between theneedles and looper fingers and the work positioning device to bring thework positioning device into position between the work and the path ofthe cord carrying needle prior to the pas sage of said needle throughthe loops, and means for causing a relative movement between the needlesand the looper fingers and work positioning device longitudinally of theneedles after the return of the cord carrying needle, substantially asdescribed.

23. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forinserting a lacing cord in the eyelet hole of an upper, mechanism fortying the ends of the lacing together, and means acting on the lowerportion of the lacing to provide slack therein, substantially asdescribed.

24. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper, meansfor passing a lacing cord through the loops, a knotting mechanism fortying the ends of the lacing together, and means acting on the lowerportion of lacing to provide slack therein, substantially as described.

25. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forinserting a lacing cord in the eyelet holes of an upper, mechanism fortying the ends of the lacing together, and means engaging the lowerportion of the lacing during the knot-ting and drawing slack after thelace is released by the knotter, substantially as described.

26. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper, meansfor passing a locking cord through the loops, knotting mechanism fortying the ends of the lacing together, and means for suspending the workduring the knotting by the ends of the lacing and by the lacing adjacentthe lower laced eyelets, substantially as described.

27. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cordthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, means for passing a locking cordthrough the loops, mechanism for tying the ends of the lacing together,and means from which the upper is suspended after the upper is freedfrom the needles and until after the completion of the knottingoperation arranged to engage the lower portion of the lacing,substantially as described.

28. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in a lacing cord and retain theloops in position to be passed by the needles through the eyelet holesof an upper, one of said looper fingers being provided with a cordengaging device from which the upper is suspended when freed from theneedles, substantially as described 29. A machine for lacing shoeuppers, having, in combination, a plurality of needles, a plurality oflooper fingers cooperating therewith to form a series of loops in alacing cord and retain the loops in position to be passed by the needlesthrough the eyelet holes of an upper, one of the looper fingers beingextendedto form a cord engaging device from which the upper is suspendedwhen freed from the needles, substantially as described.

30. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, aplurality of needles, a plurality of looper fingers cooperatingtherewith to form a series of loops in a lacing cord and retain theloops in position to be passed by the needles through the eyelet holesof an upper, one of the looper fingers being extended to form a cordengaging device from which the upper is suspended when freed from theneedles, and a shoulder on the extension for arresting the fall of theupper, substantially as described.

31. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, mechanismfor inserting a lacing cord in the eyelet holes of an upper, a knottying mechanism arranged to act upon the lacing, and a gripper arrangedto grip the lacing on the work side of the knot during the tightening ofthe knot, substantially as described.

82. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination mechanismfor inserting a lacing cord in the eyelet holes of an upper, aknot-tyingmechanism arranged to act upon the lacing, a gripper arranged to gripthe lacing on the work side of the knot, and means for causing arelative movement between the knot-tying mechanism and the gripper totighten the knot, substantially as described.

33. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of anupper, means for passing a locking cord through said loops, a knottyingmechanism arranged to act upon the lacing beyond the loops, and agripper on the work side of the knot cooperating with the knot-tyingmechanism to tighten the knot formed thereby, substantially as described.

34. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of anupper, means for passing a locking cord through said loops, a knottyingmechanism arranged to act upon the lacing beyond the loops, and agripper arranged to grip the lacing on the work side of the knot duringthe tightening of the knot, substantially as described.

35. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of anupper to partially form a lacing, means for passing a portion of saidcord through said loops to complete the lacing, a knot-tying mechanismarranged to act on the ends of the lacing, and

a gripper arranged to grip the lacing on the work side of the knotduring the tight-- ening of the knot, substantially as described.

36. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of anupper to partially form the lacing, means for passing a portion of saidcord through said loops to complete the lacing, a knot-tying mechanismarranged to act on the ends of the lacing a gripper arranged to grip thelacing on the work side of the knot, and means for causing a relativemovement between the knot-tying mechanism and the gripper to tighten theknot, substantially as described.

37. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forpassing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of anupper to partially form the lacing, means for passing a portion of saidcord through said loops to complete the lacing, a knot-tying mechanismarranged to act on the ends of the lacing, a gripper arranged to gripthe lacing on the work side of the knot, and means for moving theknot-tying mechanism away from the gripper to tighten the knot,substantially as described.

38. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forinserting a lacing cord in the eyelet holes of an upper, including acord carrying needle, grippers to which the ends of the lacing aredelivered by the needle, a knot-tying mechanism arranged out of positionto act on the lacing during the advance stroke of the needle, and meansfor moving said knottying mechanism into and out of posit-ion to act onthe lacing adjacent the grippers, substantially as described.

39. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming a series of loops in a lacing cord and passing them through theeyelet holes of an upper, a cord feeding needle arranged to feed cord tothe loop forming means and pass a portion of said cord through saidloops, cord grippers arranged to grip the free end of the cord and theend of the portion of the cord passed through the loops, a knottyingmechanism arranged out of position to act on the lacing during theadvance stroke of the needle, and means for moving said knot-tyingmechanism into and out of position to act on the lacing adjacent thegrippers, substantially as described.

40. A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, means forforming and passing a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyeletholes of an upper, means for passing a portion of said cord through saidloops to complete the lacing, means for holding the ends of the lacing,a knottying mechanism, and means for moving

